Backgrounds: Character perception or Reality

[Al]

I like writing elaborate backgrounds, and always from the character's perspective. The style of writing and the opinions on past events is crucial to shaping the character in its entirety.

However, I do add useful asides out-of-character to establish the objective truth in order to help the DM.

 

[Snoweel]

It matters not to me, whether I am the DM or the player. As a player, I will write the events that shaped the character. If the DM latches onto one of these "facts" and changes it to make an interesting campaign hook, that's great. I also try to leave a little ambiguity and a few hooks anyway, so however the DM needs to tell the story is cool.

As a DM, I will take creative license with backgrounds if I can make the game fun by doing that. I try not to change something so dramatically that the player won't recognize it. I want them to look back on it and realize how it tied into their character later on.

What this guy said.